Jury begins deliberations in Lindsay Clancy’s murder trial

By Elise Hammond, Nicki Brown, Lauren del Valle, Eric Levenson, Maureen Chowdhury and Chelsea Bailey

(CNN) – The jury is now deliberating in the murder trial of Lindsay Clancy, after weeks of testimony wrapped up with closing arguments from both sides this morning.

The courtroom was packed with reporters and members of the public. A few women in the gallery were wearing pink, presumably in support of Clancy. Before the closing arguments began, Clancy was seen wiping the corner of her eyes, and her shoulders shook as Judge William Sullivan reviewed the charges against her.

The jury that will consider Lindsay Clancy’s fate is made up of nine women and three men. The panel includes a woman who was wiping her eyes during closing arguments, a man who yawned during the commonwealth’s closing, and a woman who nodded when a psychiatrist testified Clancy’s choice to not take a certain medication was reasonable “in her mind.”

Many of the empaneled jurors have been diligently taking notes during the testimony. The jury foreperson is a woman with gray hair and glasses. Six alternates — three men and three women — were dismissed and so will not deliberate.

After the jury exited the courtroom, Judge William F. Sullivan took a moment to commend all three attorneys for their work on the case.

“Unless you’ve tried a difficult murder like this one, you may not be aware how difficult and tough it is to try a case like this,” Sullivan said. “It’s emotionally taxing. It’s intellectually, it’s physically exhausting. So I just wanted to commend all three counsel for their work and their efforts in this case in this trial. I know how challenging it’s been for them.”

The jury can consider charges of first-degree murder, second-degree murder, or manslaughter. First-degree murder is punishable by life in prison without the possibility of parole. Second-degree murder is punishable by life in prison with the possibility of parole. Manslaughter is punishable by up to 20 years in prison.

If the jury finds Clancy not criminally responsible for the killings of her children, she could spend the rest of her life in a hospital. The court would periodically review Clancy’s mental health to determine whether she could be released.

In his closing argument, defense attorney Kevin Reddington said evidence shows Clancy was “a darn good mother” and the killings happened “because of the damn medicine and the lousy medical care” Clancy received.

Reddington said Clancy “lived for her kids” until doctors began overprescribing her medications. The evidence presented showed Clancy had raised concerns and fears about the medications, he said, and her handwritten notes show how her mental state deteriorated.

Clancy is not “criminally responsible” for the crime because of her psychological state, he said, citing the expert opinion of forensic psychiatrist Dr. Phillip Resnick. The psychiatrist examined Clancy and testified she was “frankly psychotic” and not in control of her actions during the killings.

Experts for both sides acknowledged during the trial that Clancy made a “serious suicide attempt,” Reddington said. The jury was also presented exhibits that support that, he said. The defense lawyer also accused police of not conducting a thorough investigation.

Assistant District Attorney Jennifer Sprague told jurors that “there’s no dispute that Lindsay Clancy was suffering from a mental illness and that she tried to kill herself,” but the issue is if she “knew the difference between right and wrong” when she killed her three kids. Killing them “was a choice,” she said.

Sprague argued Clancy interacted with the public and presented “herself as a functioning adult, a functioning mom.” She pointed out Clancy chose not to tell mandated reporters about thoughts of harming her kids and how she took her daughter to the doctor the day of the killings.

Sprague also said Clancy did not immediately tell her husband that she heard a voice that directed her to kill the kids. Further, the failure of the suicide attempt shows that there was no voice in her head, Sprague argued, pointing out that the pills she took were not at a lethal level and cut wounds were “superficial.”

Clancy had resources, support and access to great medical care but did not follow through on a plan, Sprague said. Medical providers aren’t at fault for Clancy’s depression because she wasn’t always being honest with her doctors about her condition and what medications she took, according to Sprague.

Judge William F. Sullivan showed the jury the verdict slips that the panel will use to come to a unanimous decision in Lindsay Clancy’s trial. There are three verdict slips, one for each of Clancy’s three children. Each verdict slip has several options: Not guilty, not guilty by lack of criminal responsibility, guilty of first-degree murder, guilty of second-degree murder and guilty of manslaughter.

“Reaching a verdict in this case is not necessarily going to be an easy task,” he said.

The-CNN-Wire
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